Muzzle attachment for guns



Sept. 6, 1938. s. e. GREEN I MUZZLE ATTACHMENT FOR GUNS Filed Oct. 16,1936 Inventor Samuel [3-Breen @MKMZ Attcsr'ne Patented Sept. 6, 1938UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 3700. G. 757) The invention described herein may be manu factured and usedby or for the Government for governmental purposes, without .thelpaymentto me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a. muzzle attachment for guns and moreparticularly it has refe ence to that class of attachment serving tocheck recoil, silence the report, eliminate smoke, and reduce flash.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a gas-receivingcasing having an efficient arrangement for cooling the gases prior totheir discharge into the atmosphere.

A further object is to associate the gas-receiving casing with a waterjacket which may conveniently be in fluid communication with the mainwater jacket of the gun.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the construction,arrangement and combination of elements described hereinafter andpointed out in the claims forming a part of this specification.

A practical embodiment of the invention is H- lustrated in theaccompanying drawing, wherein: i

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the improved device appliedto a water-cooled machine gun.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the lines 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation with part in section on the line 3-3of Fig. l.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference there is shown thefront portion of a machine gun comprising a Jacket 5 adapted to containa cooling fluid such as water. The front plate 6 of the jacket isapertured to receive bushings in which the muzzle of a gun barrel 8 isslidably supported. The front plate is also provided adjacent itsperiphery with a plurality of apertures 9 which establish fluidcommunication with an attachment that is mounted on-a tubular extensionIn of the front plate.

The attachment comprises an adapter threadedly secured on the extensionI and having a plurality of apertures ill in line with and preferablylarger than the apertures 9. Gaskets l3, II and I are placed between theadioining faces of the adapter and front plate and the joint isencircled by a clamping band l6 having a lining IT.

The adapter carries an inner gas-receiving casing 18 and an outer casingI9 which is spaced from the inner casing to provide an annular chamber20 for containing water admitted through the apertures 9 and I2.

The inner casing l8 comprises a large tubular rear part 2| forming anexpansion chamber 22 and a reduced tubular front part 23 through whichthe bullet fromthe gun barrel travels. The front part 23 has an enlargedcentral portion with oppositely tapering walls 24 to establish anexpansion and contraction chamber 25 for the gases which follow thebullet.

A series of spaced flues 26 are provided on the outer side of the frontpart and are arranged longitudinally thereof. The flues are convenientlyprovided by forming the inner casing with spaced radial fins 21 and thenattaching covers 28, as by welding, toclose in alternate spaces betweenthe flns. These covers extend beyond the rear ends of the fins and arefitted on the large rear part 2| to which they are secured by welding.The alternate spaces 29 between the flues are open to the annularchamber 20 so that the cooling fluid surrounds three sides of the flues.

Each flue has a gas inlet 30 from the expansion chamber 22 and thisinlet is preferably provided at the forward end of the rear part 2| sothat the gases throttled therethrough are directed radially and strikethe cover 28 which serves as a baflie. The front end of each flue isopen to atmosphere and constitutes an outlet 3|.

The outer casing l9 has a turned-in front end 32 which meets and iswelded to the covers 28 of the flues and to a plate 33 which is securedon the front part 23 of the inner casing l8 and closes the spaces 29,being welded to the fins.

.The annular chamber 20 is divided into a plurality of compartments bypartitions 34 which terminate short of the front end of the chamber sothat all of the compartments are in communication and the water will befreely circulated.

The gases issuing from the gun barrel expand in the chamber where theirtemperature and velocity are reduced. A portion of the gases are ventedthrough the flues and the remainder follow the bullet and are ventedthrough the reduced part 23 of the casing.

1. In a gun, a jacket for a cooling fluid and having apertures in itsfront end, a gun barrel in the jacket and extending through the frontend thereof, a unit mounted on the front end of the jacket and includingan inner casing for receiving the gases of discharge from the barrel,said casing having an enlarged rear part and a reduced front part,spaced flues extending longitudinally a d formed in part by the outerside of the reduced front'part of theinner casing and havingcommunication with the rearpart of the casing, an outer casingsurrounding the inner casing and flues and spaced therefrom to establisha chamber therewith, said chamber open to the apertures in the front endof the fluid jacket whereby cooling fluid surrounds and contacts boththe inner casing and the flues.

2 In a gun, a jacket for a cooling fluid, a gun barrel extending throughthe front end of the jacket, a unit mounted on the front end of thejacket and including an inner casing for receiving the gases ofdischarge from the barrel, spaced flues formed in part by the outer sideof said casing, each flue having an inlet at its rear end and a gasoutlet at its front end, an outer casing surrounding the inner casingand flues and spaced therefrom to establish a chamber therewith, saidchamber having fluid communication with the Jacket whereby cooling fluidsurrounds and contacts both the inner casing and the flues.

3. A muzzle attachment for a gun comprising an inner casing forreceiving the gases of dis-\ charge of the gun, spaced flues fixed onthe outer 'side of said casing, each flue having a gas inlet and a gasoutlet, and ajacket surrounding the inner casing and the flues, theinterior wall of the jacket and the exterior walls of the inner casingand flues cooperating to provide a chamber for a cooling fluid whichsurrounds and contacts both the inner casing and flues.

4. A muzzle attachment for a gun comprising a casing for receiving thegases of discharge of the gun and having a rear part and a front part,the rear part providing an expansion chamber, and a plurality of exhaustconduits formed integrally on the outer side of the front part of thecasing and leading from the expansion chamber to atmosphere.

SAMUEL G. GREEN.

